Page 32 of A Very Titan Christmas
“Okay.” He pressed his lips together. “Fair. Sorry.”
“We’ll look like we’re dating when I have to do things with my mom.”
“Don’t forget,” he added, “you’re stuck with me since you came up with this fake boyfriend thing. It’s tied to your protection detail. So, you have me around whether or not your mom is there also.”
“Right.” She’d caused this whole mess and needed to go with the flow. Titan Group was doing her a huge favor.
“You just don’t have to act like you like me unless Eloise is watching.”
Rachel scoffed and kept herself from throwing another elbow. “I like you just fine.”
“Good to know because the last time we talked, I was the asshole who broke your heart and owed you a huge favor.”
She flushed. “I needed help with my mom, but believe it or not, I had moved on from you even before I graduated.” That wasn’t entirely true. She’d dated but never let anyone close to her heart until she was well into college. Even then, no one had knocked her socks off.
“There’s my girl,” her father called out from across the patio.
“Well, fuck me,” Bryce muttered.
“That would probably be against your ground rules. If we had them.” She waved as her parents approached.
“Very cute, Rach.” Bryce closed his eyes. His jaw stiffened. “Your dad’s behind me, isn’t he?”
“Yup. With my mom.”
“Act like you like me,” he reminded her.
She hung her arms around his shoulders and pressed her forehead to his. “I like you.” Her stomach fluttered. “Showtime.”
Bryce winked and turned around, not stepping from the spot where he nestled against her. Rachel kept her hands locked around his neck and rested her chin on his shoulder. Again, the familiarity was enough to squeeze her heart. It wasn’t real. Shewas recalling feelings from the past and remembering who she’d been at a pivotal point in her life. Her reaction to him was simple muscle memory.
“Hey, Dad.” She hugged Bryce quickly and let him lift her off the wall. “I didn’t know you’d be around.” She glanced at her mom. “It wasn’t on the schedule.”
“Today’s schedule needs revisions.”
Dad stuck out his hand toward Bryce. “Nice to see you again.”
Two security agents and Roman waited several yards away. The agents ignored them. But Roman was watching her and Bryce and not hiding his amusement. She bet Bryce would have something to say about that later, but he was busy shaking hands and making small talk with her dad.
Rachel eyed her dad. Something was different. His glasses were the same wire-rimmed ones he always wore. Same heavy parka with the same old jeans. She was sure that underneath the heavy coat was the green flannel shirt he wore whenever he wasn’t in Washington, DC. “You’re looking good, Dad. Do something different?”
He patted his stomach. “I lost a couple pounds. The doctor says I have to cut down on my salt and cholesterol.”
“That’s no fun.” Rachel frowned and tried not to laugh at his pained expression. “But if that’s what the doctor said, that’s what you have to do.”
“Actually…” Her dad scratched his head. “Weren’t we supposed to meet him this week? With Rachel? Dinner or—”
“No, Will.” Eloise wrinkled her nose. “That’s”—she waved her hand—“something else for another time.”
Rachel’s lips parted. No way. Her mother was trying to set her up with all the men within her reach who were single and held steady careers. Had there been any other unifying characteristics? Because Eloise certainly had not asked Rachel for suggestions on the type of man she might be interested in.
“I thought…” Dad frowned in thought. “With Rachel and us—”
“No,William.”
Her dad laughed. “Uh-oh. She broke out theWilliamon that one. Guess I should drop the subject.”
Rachel rubbed a hand over her face. “Dad, how old is your doctor?”
